The universal body of physick in five books; comprehending the several treatises of nature, of diseases and their causes, of symptomes, of the preservation of health, and of cures. Written in Latine by that famous and learned doctor Laz. Riverius, counsellour and physician to the present King of France, and professor in the Vniversity of Montpelier. Exactly translated into English by VVilliam Carr practitioner in physick.

CHAP. V. Of the signs of the Affected part.

HAving duly enquired into the natural, we come now to search out the preternatural dis∣position of the body. First then we will make a diligent inspection, for the better discovery of the signs of the part affected: Next the species of the affection possessing that part, and lastly the causes on which it depends. The signs of the part affected may be derived from three heads, the Essence, the Causes, and the Effects; a Catalogue of which is proposed in the Table marked with the letter, B.

Therefore according to that Series the affected part is discovered by.

The essence. First quality. By the Temper of the part; for if we perceive it hot, moist, or dry in excesse, we shall judge it to be preternaturally affected.

Second. By hardness and softness, if for instance, in Hypochondriacks we per∣ceive hardness and retinency, we shall judge the parts subjected, the liver, or milt to be obstructed, or inflamed: so too much softness in any part is a sign that the part is affected with some tumid distemper.

Magnitude increased. A preternatural swelling, whether external, perceptible to the sight, or internal, sensible to the touch, such as the tumors of the ventricle, liver, milt, bladder, &c.

Diminished. A great consumption and atrophy of the parts.

Situation. The situation of the part, which in this case is very considerable; for if we know by anatomical inspection, what place is proper to every part in our bo∣dy, we shall easily conjecture by the humor, distemper, or some other sensible af∣fection possessing that place, that that part is diseased.

Figure. The figure mutually distinguisheth the parts situated in the same place, so a tumor in the right Hypochondrium shaped like the Moon, shews that the bun∣chey part of the liver is affected; but being of a long figure, and more external, it evidenceth to us, that the straight muscles of the abdomen are affected.

External Causes.

External Causes also discover something; for instance, if any one hath taken Cantharides, and conjecture that his bladder is affected, because they have a pecu∣liar vertue to alter the bladder, if any one be affected after converse in the Sun, we judge that his head akes, because the sun doth usually affect that part rather than any of the rest; if the affection be produced by the immoderate use of venery, we say the spiritous substance, and nervous parts are ill, because venery is an enemy to these parts.

Internal causes.

We may number the affections themselves among external causes; as where any one is troubled with a Tertian, this speaks the liver affected; a Quotidian, the ven∣tricle; a Quartan, the milt, because these parts are the randezvouz of their causes.

Observe, That when we in practise search for the part affected, we must not trace it by its essence and causes, but from its actions, excrements, and changed qualities, the signes are first to be deduced, and after from the essence and causes thereof.

The Effects, Actions.

Animal. The laesion of an action shews the part on which it depends to be affe∣cted; for instance,

Principal. Deliration, watching, abolition of sense and motion, signifie the brain affected.

Sense private. Laesion of a particular sense, as of sight or hearing, shews that the instrument thereof is affected.

Pain pungitive, tensive. A pungitive pain shews the membrane affected chiefly by sharp and eroding matter, but a tensive pain is often caused in the membranes by flatulency, and in the veins by over-repletion.

Gravative. A gravative pain signifies the parenchyma of any of the bowels to be affected, for all parenchyma's have a dull sense. So when the stone presses the the substance of the reins, it causes a gravative pain, but when it crowns the head of the ureter, a pungitive. So likewise in the pleurisie, when the matter seiseth on rib-surrounding membrane, it raiseth a pungitive pain; but when it makes a transition to the lungs, the pain is changed to gravative.

Pulsatory. The pulsatory pain shews an artery or some adjacent part to be affe∣cted; therefore in all the inflammation of the parts wherein the artery is lodged there is caused a pungitive pain.

Excrements.

But those excretions which are conveyed thorough several parts of the body, do usually discover the part affected, in this manner.

Of the essence of the part. A cartilaginous substance expelled by cough, speaks an affection in the aspera arteria, or the concavities of the lungs; but a minute part of fungous flesh excreted, shews the lungs themselves to be affected, but a crass sub∣stance proceeds from crass parts.

Naturally contained. If meat, or urine, or dregs be expelled by a wound, we know that the ventricle, bladder, or intestines are wounded.

Preternaturally contained. If small stones or sand be excreted by urine, the reins or the bladder are affected. Maw-worms expelled by the mouth or the gut, shew the intestines affected.

Quality of excrements. Air too hot sent forth by expiration, discovers the heart or lungs to be hot; but too cold, shews the heart to be much refrigerated, and next neighbour to death.

First, second, third. The blood too hot, too thin, and too yellow, and issuing as it were by leaps, shews an artery wounded.

Tenuity and colour. Small dejections of the belly, and red like the water in which raw flesh hath been washed, shew an infirmity in the liver.

Spumosity and manner. Spumous excretions expelled by coughing, shew the lungs affected. They whose excrements in the effluxions of their belly are spumous, have a defluxion of flegme out of their head, Aph. 30. Sect. 7. For flegme flow∣ing from the brain mingled in the intestines with flatulencies is become spumous.

Taste. Acid belching shews the ventricle to be replenished with crudities.

Quantity. If a great quantity of blood be expelled in coughing, the vessels of the lungs are affected, those which are in the aspera arteria being too narrow for a plentiful effusion of blood. The excretion of blood in urine, if it be not much, may be conjectured to proceed from the bladder; if much, from the reins, or su∣periour parts, where it is more copious.

Manner. Excrements rejected by spitting, signifie the mouth; by sneesing, the jaws; by coughing, the lungs, or the aspera arteria; by vomiting, the ventricle af∣fected.

Order. If white corruption usher out urine, there is an ulcer in the yard it self; if it issue after urine, there is one in the bladder or reins. In a dysenteria, if such cor∣ruption or pure blood flow out before the feculency, it is credible that the intesti∣num rectum is rather ulcerated than the rest: but if after it, or much confused with it, it shews the superiour or middle intestines to be affected.

Qualities changed.

The qualities changed do sometimes discover the part affected; for instance, whatever part of the body is possessed by heat or cold, there is a disease. Aph. 39. Sect. 4.

Colour. A leaden or pale colour thorough the whole body, shews the liver to be refrigerated; an orange colour, the bladder of the gall to be obstructed; blackish, the milt to be so affected. A lasting red in the cheeks, and of a deep grain, shews an inflammation in the lungs.

Taste. A bitter taste in the tongue signifies the ventricle replete with choler. But a salt taste shews the defluxions of salt flegme from the brain.

Sound. A tinckling and hissing of the ears whispers an affection there.

A rumbling in the belly speaks the intestines troubled with flatulency.